An 80-year lifespan is 960 months or about 29,000 days long. Think of that, an entire life filled with a flurry of ambitions, dreams, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives and moments that you’ll never know existed. All this is housed within 29,000 days. 69,6000 hours. 417,60000 minutes. 2,228,800,000 seconds.
And for someone my age (25 years) this means I have approximately 19, 875 days left. It’s a sobering reminder of life and its impartial transmutations. But when I reflect on the journey so far - one that has seen me meet and work alongside revered investors like Gary Vaynerchuk, represent Australia for Chinese competitions, swim with bull sharks in Fiji, crash movie sets in New York and befriend globally revered thought leaders in cryptocurrency landscape - I’m left with a realisation that all of us are born unique.
This uniqueness is marked genetically in our DNA. We are a one-time phenomenon in the universe - our exact genetic makeup has never occurred before nor will it ever be repeated. For all of us, this uniqueness first expresses itself in childhood through certain primal inclinations. For figures like Leonardo da Vinci it was exploring the natural world around his village and bringing it to life on paper in his own way. For others, it can be an early attraction to certain visual patterns - often an indication of a future interest in mathematics. Or it can be an attraction to particular physical movements or spatial arrangements. How can we express such inclinations? They are forces within us that come from a deeper place than conscious words can express. They draw us to certain experiences and away from others. As these forces move us here or there, they influence the development of our minds in very particular ways. This primal uniqueness naturally wants to assert and express itself, but some experience it more strongly than others.
The only thing I’d wish I had done earlier was record something of a journal that could harmonise, like sweet symphonic undertones, photos that attest to the guidance of this otherworldly force throughout my journey. But in their absence, what I can and will share are moments turned into memories. And more importantly, one that was sparked by CZ. It was an email received from him on the 2nd of January 2018 that simply read;
“Are you willing to work in Tokyo or Shanghai?”
Perhaps something like these simple nine words may appear average to you, or even less than special to your friends. But personally, although I do not work for Binance, CZ’s words have been enough to fuel the fire to keep myself evolving and learning in the blockchain industry as effectively as possible, i.e. learning rapidly about myself and my environment, and then changing to improve.
Ever since receiving his email, I’ve been filled with a burning desire of one day working alongside CZ and in partnership with the Binance team. And just under one year, it has been such a desire that has allowed me to connect with investors such as Tim Draper, thought leaders such as Andreas Antonopolous, collaborate with cryptocurrency hedge funds, write for distinguished publications such as Crypto Briefing, and be flown to attend international blockchain events and advise teams throughout the APAC Region.
For all this and more, I must thank and pay tribute to Binance (more specifically CZ) for providing credence to the fact that your opinion of yourself becomes your reality. I write this because if I had doubts prior to my contacting CZ, and people thereafter, then I can confidently say no one would have believed in me and everything would subsequently go wrong. But considering I thought the opposite, the opposite happened. It’s that simple. Although I don’t have financial experience on Wall Street, and lack the deep capital needed to call myself an accredited investor - my persistence, humility, confidence and self-awareness allowed me to raise my opinion on myself, and what I’m capable of. Through leveraging the example of CZ’s interaction (and this Binance story) I can confidently state that if you apply a similar state of mind, it has a decided influence in what you do.
As I have discovered through my interactions with the Binance team and a multitude of characters within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, the higher your self belief, the more your power to transform reality. Having supreme confidence makes you fearless and persistent. The most intense form is to feel a sense of destiny compelling you forward. This destiny can come from otherworldly sources or from yourself. Think of it like this; You have a set of skills and experiences that make you unique. They point towards some life task that you were meant to accomplish. You see signs of this in the predilections of your youth. Certain tasks that you naturally were drawn to. When you are involved in this task, everything seems to flow more naturally.
Believing you are destined to accomplish something doesn’t make you passive or unfree. But the opposite. You are liberated of the normal doubts and confusions that plague us. You have a sense of purpose that guides you but does not chain you to one way of doing things. And when your will power is so deeply engaged it will push you past any dangers or limits.
It’s been through my experience with CZ, Winnie (CZ’s assistant, HeYi, and many others on the Binance team that have instilled the confidence, persistence, and passion to keep pushing forward in my understanding and value to the global cryptocurrency industry. And as a final note; there are many paradoxes in life. But one of the most important is that it’s the questions we ask, not the answers, that pave the way for progress. So never stop asking, constantly research, seek out opposing opinions to test theories.
And CZ if you do read this, allow me to write that even though you have received countless accolades for truly inspiring work - when it comes to the light of your heart, there is still something more to be acknowledged. It is a belief you inspire. A belief that any dream and vision are more than possible to realise. How is this? Well, I suppose everyone’s answers would be different, but in my opinion (as mentioned) it’s because you are on the path to living yours. What’s more is through your dedication towards providing invaluable content, you allow others to do the same.
The fact is, there are no words to convey the reverence you so justly deserve.
I sincerely hope we may be able to keep in touch and couldn’t thank you enough!
“You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, and the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, breath of the fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner.
You are every single second of every day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and the colours fill your mind until there is nothing left to do but explode, like a supernova.
Stay strong and always prosper!
Mason.